City-county merger meeting to be held

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Pittsburgh City Council will hold an as-yet-unscheduled public hearing on the proposed consolidation of city and Allegheny County governments.

Council received a citizens' petition yesterday calling for the hearing, and deemed the signatures valid. The drive's organizer was John Singleton of Sheraden, and most of those signing the petition were from the city's western neighborhoods.

"It is certainly a timely topic and has garnered much controversy in Allegheny County and throughout the state," said Council President Doug Shields.

Mayor Luke Ravenstahl and county Chief Executive Dan Onorato endorsed the merger concept in April, aiming for a 2009 voter referendum on the topic. The proposal would merge city and county governments but allow smaller suburban communities to remain separate.